How it works

At Acadeafic, we publish blogs and vlogs related to sign language and Deaf Studies research. We are interested in blogs/vlogs about research articles but also other pieces, such as posts about methodology, research ethics, access to academic discourse, working as a deaf academic (or hearing academic in sign language/Deaf Studies research), or some other hot issue that you feel is worth discussing. We also publish posts based on conference presentations.

Acadeafic editors review your work. This is not an academic journal so do not fear cutthroat comments from Reviewer #2! Any suggested revision will be made with the aim of enhancing readability for the blog’s wider audience, although we may also double-check factual accuracy of certain points or ask you for links to supporting information. Once these edits are complete, we will send you the final version of the article, and give you an opportunity to make final edits. When your piece meets all editorial standards, it will be published.

When you are ready to submit your piece or if you want to discuss an idea, get in touch with us contact@acadeafic.org

Editorial guidelines

Quality: it almost goes without saying, but the most important factor is that your piece is interesting, well-written/signed, clear, without typos, errors and other things which take focus away from the main message.

Language: we insist on versions in both English and a signed language. If you are comfortable with International Sign, this is the preferred option, because this will make your work more widely accessible. Alternatively, you could also use other sign languages. We are also happy to post texts in other written languages than English, as long as an English version is also provided. Please discuss this with the editors!

Content of blog versus vlog: The blogs and vlogs are designed to act as stand-alone pieces and are not necessarily translations from one language to the other. We believe that texts in a written language such as English and in a signed language are often meant for different audiences, and should be produced with this audience design in mind. Therefore, at Acadeafic a written blog can have a slightly different content than a signed video blog, can highlight different issues or examples, and have a different structure or aim. Have a look at the MobileDeaf blogs/vlogs for inspiration!

Translators: The principle of Acadeafic is that researchers themselves share their work, and write and sign about their own research for a wider audience. Also, as explained in the previous point, the blog and vlog are not meant to be literal translations. As a result, the vlog should be signed by the author(s), and not by a translator. Acadeafic’s peer reviewers will give you feedback on your signed video, so doing a blog/vlog for Acadeafic is a great opportunity to improve and/or cultivate skills in signed language dissemination!

Write for an informed lay audience: Acadeafic is an academic website, but that doesn’t mean you need to write for other academics only, and in academese. In fact if you do this, your piece will most definitely not be published. Write in accessible language, with an informed wide audience in mind, including policy-makers and other non-academics. Avoid academic jargon and if you use it, define the word or concept. If you are reporting about a published article and people are interested in the jargon and academic details, they can refer to your original research article. Feel free to use images to support and clarify your points. We would even recommend to always do so (be sure that you are not violating someone else’s copyright though!).

Write your article as a standalone piece. Even if it summarises a longer paper or journal article, try to present all your arguments within the text. Keep in mind that your blog post will be shared as a standalone piece. For your blog post, choose a different title than the one of your original article/chapter/paper.

References: try to use links rather than citations for references (eg. to other pieces of research, news items or other blog posts). If you really need to use citations, use maximum three. We prefer open access resources to those that are behind a paywall.

Word countand length of videos: this is a v/blog and not an academic signed publication. The aim is to make the main points of your article accessible to a wider audience. This means the posting in English is fairly short, between 800 and 2,000 words and videos of 4-9 minutes. We are also happy to post longer articles of over 2,000 words and videos of over 9 minutes, if appropriate for the topic. If you are interested in doing so, please discuss this with the editors.

Video guidelines: make sure your videos are done in a well-lighted location with a clear background and your clothes do not distract from the clarity of your signing. Simple editing can go a long way to improving clarity, but we don’t ask for professionally edited videos. The videos for the first two vlogs were shot on smartphones without any editing work so no special technical requirements or expertise is needed. You can add full subtitles or partial subtitles (eg. subtitling fingerspelled words or key concepts).

Number of authors: there is no limit to the number of co-authors for a blog post. Equally, we welcome multiple authored vlogs. Having a conversation between authors can make video content more interesting.

You are the star! We like to give authors full credit and attention. Please send us a three or four line biographical note with your academic position and your research interests. Please also send us a small colour photo headshot. If you have one, you can include a suggestion for a featured image for us to use. This is the image you will see on the homepage, on top of the post, and on shared posts on social media.

Submission process: you can submit your blog and video at the same time, or submit for example your blog first and only make the video after you receive a review of the blog.